Last week’s career milestone, however, was one he was clearly prouder of attaining. Paquette received the gold badge of deputy fire chief, the praise of Fire Chief Scott Jepson and the Board of Selectmen, and well-wishes from town firefighters and their counterparts in nearby communities.

Last week’s career milestone, however, was one he was clearly prouder of attaining. Paquette received the gold badge of deputy fire chief, the praise of Fire Chief Scott Jepson and the Board of Selectmen, and well-wishes from town firefighters and their counterparts in nearby communities.

Paquette’s wife, Karen, pinned the badge on her husband as a packed room, spilling into the halls at Town Hall, applauded.

With about two-thirds of the department present in their dress blues, Jepson said, “It was a good turnout of department members that shows they stand behind him and wish him well.”

Jepson called Paquette’s promotion a celebration of his “hard work and dedication,” adding, “It’s the start of a great career.”

While Paquette has been in the profession around 30 years, the last 24 as a Somerset firefighter and then lieutenant, he was happy to receive the support after officially being appointed second-in-command on Aug. 4.

“This was a great honor and definitely the capstone of my career,” Paquette said. “I’m going to do the best job I can possibly do for the people of Somerset.”

He said it was also an honor to be entrusted with so much responsibility by the Board of Selectmen.

Paquette, who started his chosen career as a 19-year-old EMT in Fall River, and now teaches and trains such budding professionals, said a few of his former students from the EMT program in Fall River attended the ceremony.

“I was pleased and surprised that they were there,” he said.

He said something firefighters and police officers often say about their colleague: “It’s a brotherhood. In good or bad, we come together. It’s very comforting.”

The lifelong Swansea resident was joined by his sons, Tyler, 13, and Benjamin, 10, and his in-laws, including his brother-in-law, veteran firefighter Timothy Johnson, who attended the ceremony in his Swansea dress uniform.